The Prophecy
by Stiv Thermal
Summary: Follow the journies of several groups as they battle against anything that stands in the way of their friends safety. *Yes! Its been totally revamped! You didn't think I'd leave things for this long without something special in store, did you? R&R plz...*
1. P The End

The Prophecy  
  
All original characters in this story are copyright to me only.   
The story plot itself is also copyright to me only.  
Do not re-distribute without my permission.  
  
*Michael Stewart Stephenson*  
  
*After the death of his parents, Charisma Kaynyne ran away from the North Metropolis Zone, aiming for the Emerald Hill Zone, he made it only to the Spring Yard Zone, where he settled after being adopted by the family of Bantam Meeses.*  
  
*Becky Sabre and Jessica Sabre are cousins, sharing the same surname.*  
  
*Jessica Sabre is constantly flirting outrageously with Charisma Kaynyne, although it has never yet resulted in anything serious.*  
  
*Although in theory, Charisma Kaynyne is supposed to be the adopted brother of Bantam Meeses, they get along as best friends.*  
  
  
  
DUE TO SOME URM… RATHER SELECT SCENES, THIS STORY HAS BEEN RATED AS PG - 15.   
  
But hey, if you feel ready for it, read away. Just don't blame me for warping your mind. It's my style.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Prologue - The End  
  
"Don't worry babe, we'll be OK, there's no way they'll find us in her-"  
CRAAASH!!!!!!!!  
"Shit."  
"By order of our ruler Doctor Robotnik, you are to be executed. Resistance is futile."  
The trooper grabbed the male Labrador viciously by the arms and pressed a gun to his head.   
The female Labrador just couldn't stand to sit by silently and watch her husband die.  
"RAARGH!" She launched herself out of the broom cupboard, straight at the dark red plated trooper robot that had hold of her husband. The trooper didn't even move his upper body as he kicked at the female Labrador moving towards him, sending her in a direct course to the cold, hard floor. He turned back to the male dog and promptly pressed on the trigger, sending a bright blue flash at point blank range to his head.  
He died instantly.  
The trooper dropped the corpse and turned back to the female, lying motionless on the ground, he lifted his arm to his face and spoke into the communicator on his wrist.  
"Trooper 265-762-M3 to HQ, offender has been disposed of, spouse attempted assault, requesting instructions regarding spouse."  
The voice that came back through the trooper's wrist was deeply scratchy and broken but the order was clear.  
"Dispose of the female similarly."  
The trooper severed the connection to HQ, then lifted his right foot and brought it down mercilessly on the head of the unconscious female dog. Her skull was quickly crushed under the heavy pressure of the troopers steel foot.  
In the back of the broom cupboard, the young, five year old Labrador let out a small whimper. After just watching both his parents being murdered, the small dog was frozen in place. The trooper picked up on the sound and bent down to peer into the darkness of the cupboard.  
The next and last thing the trooper saw was a large metal spanner heading directly for his face.  
Charisma Kaynyne stepped out of the cupboard, blinking against the bright light, he looked down at the scene he had created, one of Robotnik's troopers lay face-up on the floor, a large spanner planted firmly in the front of its robotic head. The young pup bent down and pulled at the spanner until it came free, he threw it aside and kneeled down to examine the insides of the trooper's head. There wasn't much to see, the wires and various chips and circuitry had all been smashed to pieces by the spanner.  
Charisma stood up and stared sullenly at the two lifeless bodies that lay at either side of the trooper.  
The two bodies that had once been his parents. He was old enough to know that they were dead, that they were never coming back. He also knew then that his life was ruined, and he swore, one day he would have his revenge.  
He picked up the spanner and started beating at the de-activated trooper with a rhythmic pattern, deep into the night, until the robot was unrecognizable as a machine of Robotnik's design.  
After he had finished trashing the trooper, Charisma dropped the spanner with a loud clang. He noticed that even with all his strength, he couldn't break the hard steel glove on the right hand of the trooper, he pulled the glove off, revealing a weak machine hand. He put the glove on his own right hand, it almost reached to his elbow, but he still kept it, as well as guarding his hand, and giving him a strong punch, it was cool. He punched the wall near him with the glove on, it left four circular indents in the cold concrete.  
He took a deep breath and, fighting the instinct to go and curl up in his mothers arms, he ran away into the darkness of the North Metropolis Zone, being careful to stamp on the trooper's exposed hand as he went.  
  
  
*** 


	2. 1 Disturbance Of The Peace

The Prophecy  
  
  
All original characters in this story are copyright to me only.   
The story plot itself is also copyright to me only.  
Do not re-distribute without my permission.  
  
*Michael Stewart Stephenson*  
  
***  
  
  
Chapter 1 - Disturbance Of The Peace  
  
Some years later…..  
  
"Dude, I really don't know why you still wear that bloody glove, it's not like we ever get any badniks or anything over here." Bantam Meeses told Charisma Kaynyne as they lounged around the coast of the Spring Yard reservoir.  
"Bantam, shut up." Charisma said back, half-asleep, he woke himself up slightly to think of the last time badniks had been to the Spring Yard Zone.  
He closed his eyes again as he remembered.  
"The last time badniks were around here was eight years ago, I know. But-"  
He paused as he lifted his upper body of the grass.  
"Just in case."  
He stood up.  
"I'm gonna be prepared."  
He punched the air lightly.  
"I'm gonna kick some arse."  
He lifted up a nearby rock, about the size of a football, and smashed it with a punch from his gloved right hand to prove his point.  
"The glove is cool, the glove stays."  
Bantam opened his eyes.  
"OK, the glove is cool, the glove stays." He stood up. "I'm bored, let's go get Jess or Becky or somebody."  
"Right, hang on." Charisma picked up one of the thinner pieces of the rock he'd just smashed and threw it into the reservoir, making it skim over the surfaces five times. He turned to Bantam.  
"Right then. Let's go."  
  
"Yo, Jess!" Jess Sabre poked her head out of her bedroom window and rested her head in her hands casually when she saw who it was.  
"Hey guys, what's up?"  
"Up, my dear girl, is the opposite of down." Charisma said seriously. "But that's not the point really. Fancy coming out?"  
Jess laughed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure. Gimme a sec."  
"Alrighty then."  
Bantam turned to Charisma. "I still say she needs one."  
"One what?"  
"You know what."  
"Christ, you are such a muppet."  
Jess was ready in a minute or two, she opened the door to the sight of Charisma and Bantam rolling around on the grass, playfully trying to kill each other.  
It was a good five minutes before they noticed Jess watching them. Charisma waved to her.  
"Wanna join in?"  
Jess just rolled her eyes again. "Oh, I'm sure."  
She pulled her shirt down, tight over her chest. Inadvertently stopping both of them anyway.  
Charisma and Bantam were still in a heap on the floor, but neither of them were moving anymore, Jess noticed this.  
"Oh, grow up."  
  
"Becky's not home." Jess said as it became apparent that that's where they were going.  
"Why?"  
"Cos she went to the Emerald Coast with Uncle Phil and Aunt Julie for the weekend." She stopped walking. "They'll be back on Sunday night."  
"Great." Charisma said, then stopped walking also.  
Bantam stopped, a couple of metres in front of Charisma and Jess.  
"Great." He echoed. "Any other ideas?"  
"Well, there's always Stiv, in the Hilltop Zone."  
"Hilltop Zone. Hmm, too far, methinks." Jess said, then sat down on a nearby large rock.  
Charisma sat down on her knee. Jess rested her head on his shoulder from behind.  
"Or we could just hang out here, just the three of us."  
Bantam sat down on the grass, stretching out his legs and pulling his trainers off.  
"Yeah, whatever."  
On Charisma's shoulder, Jess closed her eyes. Charisma leaned his head on hers and did likewise.  
"Aww, young love." Taunted Bantam as he let his upper body slide to the grass and closed his eyes.  
"Yeah, something like that." Charisma replied before inadvertently drifting off.   
He woke up, for some reason, twenty minutes or so later, Jess' head was still on his shoulder and Bantam was asleep curled up in the grass, next to a growth of yellow and pink flowers. Charisma lifted his head off Jess' and thought for a moment. He and Jess had always flirted outrageously, even if they never made anything of it. Just one time, it might just be nice to…  
"Nah, not today."  
He kissed Jess on the top of her head and closed his eyes again.  
Jess closed her eyes again too.  
  
"I still don't see why they took Pokémon off the air. There's just no point, they're showing it on sky. Even if it's only once a day at seven in the morning. It's better than Card Captors, and Digimon is just such a bloody rip-off."  
Bantam sighed. "If I agree will you stop talking?"  
Charisma looked away from Card Captors, to glance at Bantam, sitting on his bed on the other side of the bedroom they shared, his face buried in a book.  
He looked back at the TV, a girl was about to impale a playing card with a scythe, which should just not be carried by a kid. Somehow, cutting a hole in the card would release a guardian of the sacred forest or something, which would make the world alright again.  
Apparently.  
"Pokémon has potential, that's all I'm saying." He switched off the TV and threw the remote aside.  
"And for my next trick, I will make a bag of salt and vinegar crisps appear, as if by magic."  
He reached under his bed. "Sock, pen, book, empty coke can… Ha! Crisps." He yanked out the bag and grinned at Bantam, who had put down his book to watch this amazing display of magical talent.  
"Want one?" Charisma asked as he opened the bag.  
Bantam just stared. "Nah, you're OK." He said, standing up. " I'll get some from downstairs. I'll get us both a can, too."  
Charisma nodded. When Bantam had exited the room, he sighed, what was the problem with these crisps? They'd only been under the bed for two weeks, max.  
  
"Of course, you know what you have to do."  
"There's only thing you can do."  
"You haven't done it yet of course."  
"Only the one thing."  
"That one thing."  
"You have to do it."  
"For us…"  
  
"Wake up, you prat!" Charisma's eyes shot open.  
"Christ, I was only downstairs for three minutes. Feeling tired are we?"  
Charisma nodded blankly, trying to remember just what the hell he'd been dreaming about. But to no avail. It was lost.  
"Weird." He said, and opened the can of coke he'd just received from Bantam. He pretty much drained it within a minute. He stared at the can in his hand. "Yeah, I think I am tired. I'm going to bed." With this, he swept the stuff off his bed and onto he floor, then he climbed in and pulled the covers up to his chin.  
"Night then." Said Bantam, then picked up his book and started reading from where he'd left off.  
  
***  
  
  
"So then." Jess began, hanging out of her bedroom window. "The point of getting me out of bed before midday on a Saturday thus risking your own lives was to…?"  
Bantam closed his eyes and turned away to stop himself from laughing.  
"To ask for your assistance in the re-surfacing of the titanic. Obviously you're not interested…"  
Jess extended the claws on her right hand and growled deeply.  
"OK, sorry. We are going to the Carnival Night Zone. It's Saturday the 23rd. The tenth anniversary of its opening. There is a big party going on in aid of it all. Would you do us the honour of accompanying us to the Zone this fine morning?" Charisma said and took a purposely prominent deep breath.  
"Right. I'd hate to turn that down." She said, with about the same level of enthusiasm as a worm invited to a fishing party. "You'd better come in while I wake myself up. Don't worry, there's nobody else in."  
So Charisma and Bantam entered. Charisma had always liked Jess' house. It seemed so cosy. The rooms were small, but fit together so snugly. As soon as you get through the back door, the kitchen is directly beside you. Then onwards to the living room, with the stairs placed at the right side of the room. Jess was upstairs, waking herself up meant she was getting washed and changed. Personally, Charisma was all for going up there and watching, but Bantam sensibly suggested they didn't.  
So they sat themselves down on the large couch and Charisma switched on the TV.  
Jess had Sky.  
Sky had Sky 1.  
Sky 1 had a Pokémon marathon today.  
Usually Sky 1 was in channel position 7, so Charisma switched the channel to position 7, only to find Sky News. He raised the remote to search for Sky 1, but before he had a chance to press the button, Bantam had snatched the remote from him. Charisma turned to glare at him, but he was pointing at the TV. Charisma turned back to the TV and actually watched what was on the screen.  
A female tabby cat, a reporter was stood at the base of a huge foamy waterfall, Charisma recognised it at once by the huge walls on either side of it, walls made of large yellow and orange blocks. It was Emerald Falls, the highest waterfall in the whole of the northern hemisphere.  
And there was a dark crimson cloud simply hanging over the whole scene.  
"Jess! Get yourself down here!" Charisma yelled up the stairs, as he'd just seen a familiar figure to the edge of the screen, three of them actually. A family of tigers, stood at the rivers edge.  
Jess appeared at the foot of the stairs, dressed now. "Becky!"  
Becky, Phil and Julie Sabre stood in a crowd of people, watching the extraordinary scene. The reporter was interviewing a family of Walruses further away from the waterfall, but she soon stopped when a blue streak rushed past the camera and up, to stop on the edge of the waterfall. Many people shouted, all putting a blue streak up to one thing, or rather one citizen, Sonic the Hedgehog.  
The cameraman hurried past the Walrus family in order to zoom in on Sonic, who looked to be working out how exactly to investigate the cloud. A few seconds passed before he seemed to come to a loss, so he simply picked up a large stone and hurled it through the cloud. The stone passed straight through, and flew another half a mile before hitting the ground, well away from any spectators.  
Apparently, an object passing through the cloud seemed not to be enough for Sonic, so he took a few steps backwards and hurled himself toward the cloud, spinning like a saw blade.  
He was less than two metres away from the cloud when an object ploughed through the air from the cloud, and struck Sonic, knocking him unconscious. He fell. Everyone in the area screamed, helplessly watching their hero falling to his death.  
Back in Jess' living room, Charisma thought of something that had apparently occurred to no-one else, wherever you find Sonic the Hedgehog, you will usually also find…  
An orange blur rushed onto the screen and into Sonic, not hitting him, but catching him. Miles "Tails" Prower hovered gently to the river's edge and placed Sonic down on the grass. Kneeling over him cautiously. The cameraman rushed over to the scene, the camera rocking madly as he ran.  
Sonic lay on the grass, eyes fluttering open.  
Suddenly, a scream issued from the noise of the observing crowd, most people didn't even turn to see what the problem was, being more interested in what was happening with Sonic.  
The cameraman was not one of them. The scene shifted to look over the crowd, to where a large black shape was just visible flying off into the sky, the camera could only follow it for a second before it vanished.  
The cameraman returned to where the scream had come from, from the crowd, two tigers stood looking, disbelieving at the sky. At the point where the large black object had just disappeared with their daughter.  
The crimson cloud simply vanished.  
  
The phone rang. Jess picked herself up. She took several very deep breaths and answered the phone on the ninth ring.  
"Hello?" Charisma and Bantam could hear distraught voices, even from where they sat, at the other end of the room. Charisma switched off the TV, he wasn't really in the mood for Pokémon anymore.  
Jess kept to saying very small words, such as; "OK." And "Yeah." And "Right." Finally, she put the phone down, the person on the other end of the phone had obviously been her mother. Charisma and Bantam respectfully allowed Jess as long as she needed to regain herself. This was about four minutes.  
She didn't look at them while she was talking, she kept her head down and mumbled in a monotone. "That was my mother. She and Dad are going up to the Emerald Coast to stay with Uncle Phil and Aunt Julie, the police say that it'd be best if they stay in the Emerald Region, so they're not coming back until they've got her. I have to stay here on my own and wait until they get back," She laughed somberly. "They don't waste time, do they."  
It was a rhetorical question, so they both stayed quiet.  
  
End of chapter 1…  
  
*** 


	3. 2 Different Day, Different Destiny

The Prophecy  
  
  
All original characters in this story are copyright to me only.   
The story plot itself is also copyright to me only.  
Do not re-distribute without my permission.  
  
*Michael Stewart Stephenson*  
  
***  
  
  
Chapter 2 - Different Day, Different Destiny  
  
"-there's no way they'll find us in her-"  
CRAAASH!!!!!!!!  
  
Charisma woke up, sweat plastering his head to the sheets.   
"Shit." He muttered, closing his eyes and sighing deeply. What was it with these dreams? This was the third time he'd woken up during the last two nights.  
He looked around the room, Bantam was across the room, fast asleep. The place was totally dark except for the pale silver moonlight filtering in through a gap in the curtains.  
He got out of bed and walked out of the room silently, he needed something to drink. Maybe even a couple of paracetemol, his head was pounding.   
He turned at the landing and padded down the stairs, he stopped half way and looked out of the window. There was a nice view of randomly places houses, shimmering in bright moonlight. He looked away and walked into the kitchen.  
The light was on already. Charisma kind of felt guilty not telling his parents (or foster-parents, if you like) about Becky, but they all agreed not to bother worrying them, if Julie and Phil wanted them to know, then they'd phone them.  
He pulled a glass out of the cupboard and ran the water quietly. He waited until it was ice cold then filled the glass.  
He opened the door to step outside into the cool air and the moonlight.  
He suddenly felt the need to do something.  
It was pretty obvious what.  
He placed down his glass on the outside table and set off in the direction of Jessica's house.  
The walk would usually take about ten minutes, he might have only just woken up, but Charisma seemed to have a build up of energy. He set off running full speed.  
The wind whistled past his face and whipped his tail about behind him. Moving at speed, he soon reached Jess' house.  
As it happened, she was sitting outside her house, on the doorstep, with her head in her hands. Charisma slowed his pace and cautiously sidled up to her.  
"Jess?" She viciously threw a paw out at the sound before she knew what it was. Charisma narrowly dodged it. Jess brought her paw down and looked up at Charisma.  
"Sorry, Charisma. Did I hurt you?"  
"No."  
"Sorry. I was just…y'know?"  
Charisma sat down next to her on the step. "I know." He put an arm around her.  
She burst into tears and buried her head in Charisma's shoulder.  
"There must be something I can do, Charisma!" She wailed.  
"There's nothing any of us can do. The best we can do is wait." He added as an afterthought: "And pray."  
"That's not good enough though! Who knows what could be happening to her?! Nobody even knows what that thing was that carried her away!"  
She started crying harder, as though speaking of it again had awoken a new level of sadness.  
"I know, Jess. I know." He handed her a large dandelion leaf to wipe her eyes.  
She looked at the leaf and stared at it.  
"Sorry."  
"It's OK, Jess. I know what you're going through, she may not be my cousin, but she is one of my best friends." Charisma made every effort to refer to Becky in the present tense, not the past. He moved his hand up and squeezed her shoulder, trying his best to imitate a massage.  
Jess sighed. "You're right. She's one of your best friends. I know it's just as bad for you. This whole thing."  
She put her hand on his and suddenly, Jess moved forward and kissed Charisma, on the lips.  
After a minute or so, Jess parted from Charisma and took his hand. She opened the door to her house.  
"Come on, let's go in. It's cold out here."  
"I should go back home actually…"  
"Oh." Jess said, she let go of Charisma's hand and bowed her head slightly. "Charisma, can't you just stay a while? I could do with a friend…"  
She looked up at him hopefully. Tears residing in the corners of her eyes.  
"Please…?"  
Charisma didn't need much persuasion. Jess was one of his best friends, he cared for her deeply. He'd know her since she'd moved to the Spring Yard Zone when they was six.  
He took her hand back and tilted her chin up. "Relax, Jess. I'll stay here with you."  
He kissed her forehead and put his arm around her. "So let's go inside."  
Jess smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks, Charisma. It's nice to know you're there for me."  
"I always will be."  
  
***  
  
Charisma shook himself mentally. He knew he should wake up now, but he couldn't seem to bring himself to do it.  
  
A bright blue flash…  
A disgusting crunching noise…  
  
A stone flew and ricocheted off the small window.  
  
Jumbled words seemed to run past his eyes:  
  
You have to do it.  
For us…  
  
"Aargh!"  
"…Charisma?" Bantam questioned from outside the window.  
Charisma opened his eyes, quickly took in the view, took a second to remember where he was.  
Jess' bedroom.  
Oh, yeah.  
He stood up and walked to the window. Bantam was stood there, looking up at him.  
"Yeah."  
"What're you doing here?"  
"Lending some moral support."  
Jessica groaned in her bed and turned over. She saw Charisma standing up and smiled at him.  
Charisma smiled back. "How you doing?"  
She broadened her smile. "Surviving."  
"Charisma!" Bantam shouted again from outside. "That cloud thing!"  
Charisma didn't even pause to think which cloud thing, he knew.  
"What about it?" He silently hoped Jess didn't hear the mention of the cloud, in case it brought out some raw emotion he just didn't want to contend with.  
Bantam peered up at the window. "Come down here, I'll tell you."  
Charisma sighed, there were times when Bantam just didn't get the point of the relationship between urgency and self comfort.  
He decided to let him off. "Fine."  
He pulled on his trainers and stroked Jess' foot as he walked past her and down the stairs. She laughed and rolled back into bed, pulling the covers over her head.  
Charisma opened the front door. Bantam nearly toppled him over as he rushed in, carrying a large red sleeved book.  
  
Jessica woke up, not knowing she had fallen back asleep in the first place. She looked down at herself, knowing she'd woken up already, not that she remembered it clearly.  
Charisma had been at the window or something, shouting out of it.  
Charisma.  
In her bedroom.  
Oh, yeah.  
She thought back to the night before. They didn't do anything, they didn't even kiss. They just lay in each others arms for the night. Jess hanging onto Charisma for every bit of comfort she could find.   
She changed out of the clothes she'd slept in and found a pair of black boots with a white stripe running over them sideways, like Sonics. She carried them downstairs.  
Charisma and Bantam were sitting on the couch, Bantam was holding a book. Charisma looked up at her when she entered the room.  
He didn't smile, instead he stood up and walked to her, he put a hand on both of her shoulders.  
"We're going on a journey." He still didn't smile as he said it, not like they do in the movies. He was solemn faced and seemed apprehensive.  
He blinked. "We're going to the-"  
  
End of chapter 2…  
  
*** 


	4. 3 Miracle

The Prophecy  
  
  
All original characters in this story are copyright to me only.   
The story plot itself is also copyright to me only.  
Do not re-distribute without my permission.  
  
*Michael Stewart Stephenson*  
  
***  
  
  
Chapter 3 - Miracle  
  
"But, I mean, it only appears for one day every month."  
"Yeah. In two days time, the chain's at Never Lake."  
Bantam handed the book, page open, to Jess, "We can get there on the day if we set off tonight."  
"Tonight? Why tonight?" She paused and did a double take on herself. "Why the hell are we going to the Miracle Planet anyway?"  
Charisma thought he should inject a bit of humour here, but he'd already used his 'Resurfacing the Titanic' line, and he couldn't think of any more.  
Bantam interjected anyway. "Read the page."  
Jess took the book, her eyes widened as she examined the picture at the bottom of the page.  
"It's… That cloud thing."  
"Yep." Charisma agreed. Now though, 'that cloud thing' had a name.  
  
***  
  
"We can't tell our parents. They'd never let us go." Jess stated the obvious.  
"And we wouldn't want that…" Charisma muttered sarcastically. Even though he knew he'd go anyway, to get Becky back.  
"Yeah, you're right." Bantam.  
"Well, how long are we going to be there?"  
"Well, in an ideal world, we'd go there and be back before the planet vanishes."  
"Oh yeah, definitely a 'but' coming up."  
"But…" Bantam amended. "It probably won't. Quite simply."  
"Brilliant." Charisma stated.  
"OK, Topic two, Bantam." Jess said. "Never Lake's across the other side of the continent, if we're going to get there in two days, we're not going to be able to walk it."  
Bantam grinned, he had thought this one through.  
"A while back, Dad had an army career." Jess knew this, but she listened quietly. "At one point, he was posted in the Ice Mountain Zone. One day, he saved someone's life, someone who then said he'd repay our family any favour, any time we wanted it."  
Charisma allowed himself a fleeting smile of recognition. "Uncle Ice." He whispered to himself  
Bantam picked this up, his large ears more sensitive than Jess'.  
"Exactly. Jess, can I use your phone?"  
"Sure, wanna tell me who exactly we're phoning?"  
He took the book back from Jess and picked up the phone, he dialed the number scrawled on the back page.  
Charisma smiled. "We're calling in the big guys."  
Someone answered the phone on the other end.  
"Ice P? It's Bantam Meeses." There was a short pause as Ice P yelled hearty greetings down the phone.  
"Yeah. Listen, have you got a minute?"  
  
***  
  
The wind whistled through Jess' hair, it was cold, but not cold enough that she couldn't stand without her jacket. It was also dark, very dark and quite cold. Jess didn't exactly think these ideal conditions to be standing around outside.  
"He should be here by now, shouldn't he?" She asked, worried. She thought for a second that he had gone to their parents, it had taken them a while to convince him not to in the first place. He soon overcame it though, once he knew their intentions.  
Besides, even though he was 21, he still thoroughly enjoyed an adventure.  
"You've got to allow for some lateness." Bantam defended. "It's not easy to get a huge hovercraft into the village without anyone seeing."  
"Well, on the contrary…"  
The deep voice came from behind them, causing them all to jump, Jess almost screamed, but she managed to stop herself.  
A head floated in thin air, the head of a large white polar bear.  
Charisma and Bantam both knew it was Ice P; Jess guessed it was. The thing was, his head didn't seem to have any body to it.  
"Its a cloaking field, kids." Ice P. said, then stepped out of the field to prove his point. Revealing his whole body, his whole huge body.  
He was at least twice the size of Jess. Maybe a little more. The fur that covered his body was pure white.  
He wore a pair of cycle shorts which were a very light shade of blue, he also wore a woolly hat and thick snow boots the same colour.  
In conjunction with the awesome power that naturally came with his huge polar bear body, he worked out frequently. His muscles bulged, visible even under his thick layer of shaggy fur.  
"So, anyway, nice to see you guys. It's been a while." His eyes moved to Jess. "And I don't believe I've met your friend here."  
"Oh, yeah. This is Jess. Jess, this Ice P."  
Ice P took a step towards Jess and with a warm hearty smile, held out his hand for her to shake.  
Jess swallowed her initial fright at being approached by someone at least twice her size and accepted his hand. Which he shook very daintily considering that fact that his hand was bigger than Jess' whole head.  
It wasn't that hard, his smile told her there was nothing she should fear about him, she relaxed and accepted Ice P as a new friend.  
"So, come in. See your home for the next couple of days."  
He led them into the relative light coming from what simply looked like a large rectangle shaped hole in thin air.  
Once inside, the door hissed shut behind them. Then the lights inside the craft came on.  
"Wow…" Charisma said, slightly awestruck.  
The place was flipping huge. Well, for a hovercraft.  
The part they were in was just like a big room with computers and flashing consoles all along the walls. A massive screen adorned one wall, actually filling almost half of it.  
There were four green doors on each side of the room, a large, shutter looking door at the back and a large yellow door at the front, surrounded by a kind of… well, a mess of pipes and cables and large blocks.  
"Doors on sides are personal quarters, door at front's the entrance to the control deck, back door's the hangar entrance." Ice P said, as if reading their minds.  
"There's a hangar in here too?" Jess asked.  
"We're in it!" Ice P laughed.  
"Oh, right."  
"Anyway, come on and meet the team."  
"The team?" Bantam queried.  
Ice P laughed again. "You didn't think I could run this thing all on my own did you? There's another five people on board this 'craft."  
He led them to the control deck entrance and opened the door, he walked in and held the door open for Charisma, Bantam and Jess.  
"First up, Skar."  
A darkened snow wolf looked up and lifted up his fusion-flaming mask, revealing a long dark scar from his right ear to his chin. "So." He said, in a slightly husky voice, a grin creeping onto his face. "You're the ones that dragged us all this way."  
Charisma was about to apologise when he realised that they couldn't have come 'all this way' from the Ice Mountain Zone if it was going to take two days to reach Never Lake. The Ice Mountain Zone was three times as far from the Spring Yard Zone as Never Lake.  
He voiced this.  
Skar laughed. "Well spotted youngun. Well done."  
Ice P chuckled and patted Charisma on the shoulder, which quite hurt, but Charisma just smiled to himself and stayed quiet.  
"Let's go and find the others." Ice P said. "See you in a bit, Skar."  
Skar pulled the mask back down onto his face and returned to whatever it was he was welding.  
They walked a little further, stopping at a corner filled with computer consoles.  
"Sarah Sibria."  
The white tiger sat at the console swung around in her swivel seat and smiled.  
She was pretty, she wore stylishly torn blue jeans and a red tee-shirt, with the number 39 on the front of it, in bold white.  
"That's me."  
"Sarah's the technical coordinator."  
Jess, Bantam and Charisma looked blank.  
"I look at all the stuff on these screens and see if anything's going on in or around the 'craft."  
"Ah. So is anything going on now?"  
"There was a slight engine lurch as we set off, but it sorted itself almost right away."  
"We've set off already?" Jess sounded surprised.  
"Well, yeah. We're making tough time here still. No matter how advanced the 'craft is."  
"So true." A voice came from above them.  
They all looked up to see a dirty purple face grinning down at them, hanging upside-down from a maze of cables on the ceiling.  
He flipped himself around and floated down to greet them. They could now see he was a bat, his leathery wings extended to catch the air.  
He landed and settled a spanner behind his right ear. He shook hands with each of them.  
Charisma's first thought was of the little boy in Mary Poppins.  
"Jack Sonar. I do the dirty work." He laughed. "I think I have a more official title than that, but I think this one sounds better. More accurate anyway."  
They all laughed.  
"Anyway, there's almost certainly something else for me to get dirty doing, can't leave them waiting." He jumped up, grabbed a cable and swung himself back into the darkness above.  
Ice P shook his head, smiling.  
"The youngest member of our group."  
"Fleeting visit." Charisma noted.  
"As always." Sarah grinned. "We never see anything of him apart from the occasional team meeting." She looked up at the cabled ceiling. "He's always up there. In the limbo between floors... Ah well, he enjoys it."  
Ice P shook his head again. "OK, let's get up to the cockpit, so to speak."  
Sarah said bye and swiveled back around to her console corner.  
Next, they were led up to the darkness at the front end of their current room. Ice P pressed his hand against a turquoise pad set into the wall. There was a brief hum and a door opened in the wall.  
"Print analyzed and accepted, access granted." A computer voice said from somewhere.  
So, they walked in, the door shut behind them, the same as the entrance door did.  
As soon as he walked in, Charisma almost tripped straight over a small blue thing on the floor. "Yaa!"  
The thing issued a small cry of protest then started running off into the darkness.  
Bantam looked puzzled for a second. "Was that…?"  
"A chao." Charisma finished, brushing himself off.  
"A chao!" Jess squealed, very unlike her.  
The chao stopped at the sound of a female voice and turned back to the group.  
"Condisco." Said a voice from behind the chao. An albino bat wearing a sleeveless shirt the same colour as Ice P's shorts, and orange poppers stepped forth from the shadows.  
The light blue chao ran and hid behind her right leg.  
"Alatus should be around somewhere too. This here is Condisco."  
The chao peeked out slightly from behind the leg of…  
"Liz Sonar. I'm Jack's sister." She picked up Condisco and held him in her arms. "Have you met Jack yet?"  
"Briefly." Jess remarked.  
Liz was about to offer her hand out to shake when the ship jolted suddenly, shaking everyone and throwing Jess to the floor.  
"Sally!" Ice P roared down the short corridor. "Shields to maximum!"  
  
End of Chapter 3…  
  
*** 


	5. 4 Playing With Fire

The Prophecy  
  
  
All original characters in this story are copyright to me only.   
The story plot itself is also copyright to me only.  
Do not re-distribute without my permission.  
  
*Michael Stewart Stephenson*  
  
***  
  
  
Chapter 4 - Playing with fire.  
  
My name is Cryptis, Cryptis Strype. Sixteen years old. I'm a raccoon. A male raccoon. So, as the generations go, male raccoons are the weaker sex.  
Normally.  
Apart from me of course.  
Think about it, why else would I be telling this story?  
  
"Kasumante Tepila!" Ancient Virgan for 'small blast'.  
A similar cry came from the seventeen year old female raccoon next to me:  
"Kasumante Tetilta!" Ancient Virgan for 'medium blast'.  
As a result of the blasts being different sizes, mine was a blue / green colour and hers was a more fiery red.  
Hers illuminated the place much more than it really should have done, bathing us both in bright yellow light. Well, that's what happens when you show off.  
Nonetheless, she was challenging me, if she tries to outdo me, I just can't resist. "Kasumante…" I took a deep breath and focused my energies into the palm of my hand. "Tesulta!"  
Nice. Beautiful white blast. Nearly blew the whole place up, really. I knew I'd be reprimanded for it later, but she started it. Don't show off in front of me and we'll be OK.  
She stepped back to the edge of the room and pressed on a panel protruding from the wall.  
The lights came on instantly.  
"Oi!" I yelled. "We're not finished yet!"  
"And still, I stopped it." Said Mystik Strype, my sister.  
"Hmph." I mumbled. "You started it." I could sense a lecture coming on, I didn't need any powers to figure that one out. I materialized a small fireball and started to toss it up and down in my hand.  
"You're not that good, y'know."  
I just looked at her.  
I was 'The One'.  
Capital T, capital O.  
Legends had told of me since olden days.  
The One was told of to be born with an increased capacity to hold Virgan Magic, what the Raccoon tribe was famed for.  
Energy from within, that with dedication, could be summoned at will to be used for fighting, competing, generally anything.  
An extension of physical abilities.  
I was The One.  
I knew that, she knew that, everybody knew that.  
Not that I ever let it go to my head. Just getting my point across.  
"I'm more than your match, Myst." I gently threw my fireball to her and she caught it.  
"Get real." She turned it from yellow to a pale green colour and threw it back.  
I turned it a brilliant white and threw it high in the air, then made it explode and thus shower bright sparks all around us.  
"Pretty." I said.  
"Well, it's a good job they're not dangerous sparks." She paused to think. "Although if they were, I'm sure I could take shelter underneath your head. Me and half The Colony."  
"Yeah? Well -" Suddenly, I was cut short by a rush of activity from the walkway above, looking out to our present position, the training room.  
Mystik and I looked at each other and sprinted out of the training room.  
Even if she is a pain in the arse sometimes, she does think on the same level as me.  
  
( *NOTE* I hate writing in first-person perspective, it's so restricting. So, no matter how unprofessional this is, now that I've introduced Cryptis and Mystik and quickly got in a glimpse of their characters / personalities, I'm going back to third-person. Exactly what is second-person perspective anyway?* )  
  
Cryptis and Mystik joined in the rush of raccoons hurrying down the long white corridor, seemingly all heading to the control centre.  
It was uncommon for children to even be in this part of The Colony. Usually, children were raised in the East Sector and kept there until the age of eighteen, away from the main Colony.  
Cryptis however, was not. Being 'The One', he was raised in the heart of The Colony.  
Mystik was also raised there, for being a sibling of 'The One' also held the possibility of enhanced Virgan powers.  
"What's happening?" Cryptis asked of a raccoon in a white lab coat as he emerged from one of the laboratory areas.  
"Something's above The Colony, Cryptis. it's not clear what it is yet. They say it's thin and spread out, just like a low cloud. But it's dark red in colour…"  
"So… why are we assuming that it poses a threat?" Mystik inquired.  
"The energy signature it gives off is higher than Super Sonic's was."  
"Ah."  
  
"Send Delta Squad out to give it a warning shot!" The Tribe Leader shouted, an old raccoon by the name of John Fleetway.  
Delta Squad was called and immediately left the hangar where they were waiting.  
In the Tribe Control Centre, the heart of the Raccoon Tribe, the main viewscreen switched to a view from the camera planted in the helmet of the Delta Squad leader.  
The sound transmission crackled through.  
The Squad Leader gave his order.  
"Delta Squad one to four, advance with a basic stun spell."  
Four members of Delta Squad walked slowly underneath the red cloud. They all raised their arms in an arcing motion, then brought them together and yelled simultaneously.  
"Daki Sma!"  
A pale green beam of light lanced from four pairs of hands, meeting and merging into one, straight towards the cloud.   
Towards it and then straight through it.  
The Squad Leader cursed under his breath, only just audible to those viewing from the Control Centre.  
"Try again. Plan B. Give it something offensive. Try Kasumante Tepila."  
The Squad again moved in unison and fired off a mixed blue and green beam.  
Four black objects shot out of the cloud, merged into one and absorbed the beam like a stone being dropped into jelly. Only just visible, because of their amazing speed.  
The Squad Leader was slightly amazed by this:  
"Shit!"  
The camera was jolted as he reached up and scratched his head.  
"That's it then. Delta Squad five to seven, join the rest of the squad. Give it the Kasumante Tesulta!"  
The remaining members of Delta Squad quickly moved into formation with numbers one to four, the squad formed a small circle on the ground. They each lifted their arms to elbow height.  
Seven voices started the spell: "Kasumante…"  
Seven black objects flew from the cloud.  
Seven screams were transmitted to the Control Centre.  
Seven voices didn't get the chance to finish the spell.  
Seven black objects flew back into the cloud.  
Seven seconds passed in silence.  
Seven metres were ran by the leader of Delta Squad.  
Seven things happened in under nine seconds.  
The Delta Squad Leader turned his head to face the cloud as he ran.  
A small black object followed him, gradually becoming larger, then the screen went blank.  
  
"What the fuck?!" Was heard a few times when the scenes reached the Control Centre.  
The Tribe leader seemed unaffected, because although not completely ruthless, he knew the way to go was not to mourn now, but to mourn later.  
"Skip Beta and Gamma Squad, Alpha Squad: Advance."  
The viewscreen switched to a camera located in a treetop somewhere around The Colony.  
Alpha Squad Advanced. There were only four of them and they took orders directly from the Tribe Leader.  
"Alpha Squad. Use the Final Wave Spell."  
Alpha Squad were advanced enough in Virgan Magic to not have to use body motions to gather their energies.  
They pressed their palms together and shouted.  
"Tooyat Sma!!"  
…  
  
"Holy Shit!!"  
This time, even the Tribe Leader joined in the curses.  
Mystik stood next to the raccoon she and Cryptis had entered with.  
"I don't believe this!" She squeaked. " That thing just wiped out Alpha Squad! As if they were nothing!"  
"I know." The raccoon in the lab coat whispered.  
"Cryptis, What do you think will happen next? Alpha Squad's gone…"  
"…Cryptis?  
  
Cryptis had taken off, un-noticed after the defeat of Delta Squad. He was running at full speed, through the deserted corridors of The Colony.  
"If I'm The One and I've got a destiny to fulfill, then now's gotta be the time to do it."  
  
Mystik launched out of the door to the Control Centre.  
"Cryptis!"  
She legged it after her brother.  
"Come back you daft little shit!"  
  
Cryptis burst out of the door hatch planted in the ground above the colony, most of which was underground.  
He looked up, the cloud was directly above him.  
From this view, it looked more orange than crimson. Strange little flashes, like lightning, kept appearing within it.  
Still staring upwards, he took a step forward and bumped into something. He looked down to see the seven green banded members of Delta Squad.  
He forcefully resisted the urge to violently throw up all over them.  
They all lay, face up, eyes and mouths wide open, arms splayed out and legs straight, each member resembling a crucifix.  
Then, something even scarier, four figures, blue banded, lying in the same way.  
Alpha Squad.  
The elite soldiers of The Colony.  
All dead.  
"Fine. Play it hard ball."  
  
"Cryptis!" Mystik had followed his trail from the Control Room, she spotted the open hatch in the wall and leaped out of it.  
The cloud was hovering triumphantly above The Colony site.  
She searched frantically for Cryptis, then she saw him.  
He was sitting, cross-legged with his eyes tightly closed, straight under the cloud, both arms were raised above his head.  
Even from where she was stood, about one hundred metres away from him, she could see his eyes snap open, glowing bright red.  
And she could hear his voice, magically amplified at least five times more than normal.  
"Ancient Virgans!" He stood up, eyes still glowing like fire, and raised his arms higher.  
"Heed me!" The regular clouds (above the crimson one) turned jet black and booming thunder started.  
Mystik could sense the energy level from the cloud rising.  
"Hafyr!" Cryptis yelled as a black object flew at him from the cloud. A turquoise bubble appeared around him for just long enough to deflect the thing.  
The thing retreated back into its crimson base.  
Suddenly, another black thing shot from the cloud at him, he blocked the attack again, then another came flying.  
And another.  
And another.  
Hundreds of the things, flying at him.  
The shield was holding up, for now.  
Mystik made her mind up, she gathered the energy she could and stretched her arms out in front of her, hands touching at the wrists, fingers making a shape that suggested she was holding a large ball.  
"Kasumante Tooyat!!!"  
The beam sailed through the thick air, the first attack to actually make contact with the cloud.  
Mystik knew why the attack wasn't defended against, the black things that defended the cloud were all around Cryptis.  
A horrendous screeching sound, higher than anything imaginable tore through the noise of the thunder.  
The cloud dispersed into the air and the black things scattered in all directions, accelerating so fast, it was impossible to track them for more than a moment.  
Apart from maybe one, and only because it was carrying a female raccoon.  
That one took just over three seconds to vanish.  
In the middle of a huge empty field, Cryptis Strype dropped to his knees.  
And died.  
  
End of chapter 4…  
  
  
*** 


	6. 5 Turnips And Underwear

The Prophecy  
  
  
All original characters in this story are copyright to me only.   
The story plot itself is also copyright to me only.  
Do not re-distribute without my permission.  
  
*Michael Stewart Stephenson*  
  
Chapter 5 - Turnips And Underwear  
  
"Ice!" A female voiced followed. "Shields are at 23 percent! They're not gonna hold any longer!"  
Ice P took off running into the darkness, leaving the kids alone with Liz. He yanked open a curtain and disappeared inside.  
The craft was still rocking wildly and to make matters worse, the lights dimmed to red and a piercing alarm started ringing.   
"Better get down, lads." Liz said, Charisma and Bantam obediently joined Jess on the floor of the craft.  
"Didn't see this on the travel brochure…" Charisma mumbled.  
"Liz!" Ice P shouted. "We could do with some help here!"  
Liz glanced at the three on the floor. "Sorry, guys. I think you'd be best off staying right here. Urm, Condisco and Alatus will stay with you."  
Liz sprinted off and vanished.  
The craft was shook again and Charisma and Jess fell face down. Something fell from the ceiling onto Jess' leg and she screamed in pain.  
Condisco hurried round to her and patted her head softly.  
"What's happening?!" Bantam asked.  
Condisco turned to him and made his Chao-ball into a question mark, bouncing above his head.  
"OK…"  
"I'm going up there." Charisma said, referring to the place Ice P and Liz were.  
Condisco ran in front of Charisma as he was getting to his elbows. He spread his little arms wide and shook his head, a pleading look in his eyes.  
Charisma stared at Condisco then spoke to him.  
"I need to find out what's happening, I might be able to help."  
The small Chao shook his head violently and his Chao-ball changed to a bold exclamation mark.  
Charisma found it strange to be taking advice from the little creature, but reminding himself that Condisco lived on the craft, he did.  
Suddenly, without warning, a massive blast hit the craft and the alarms stopped, the red lights blinked off and were soon replaced with normal bleak white lights.  
A few quiet seconds passed.  
"Urm..." Bantam queried. "Are we dead?"  
Jess turned over onto her back and yelped with pain from her leg.  
No, they weren't dead.  
A Chao dropped down to them, slightly larger than Condisco, with large, white wings folded behind it. A question mark appeared over its head and it ran off through a small square opening in the wall.  
Condisco closely followed.  
Charisma sat up and examined Jess' leg.  
"It's fine, Charisma." She winced.  
"Shut up and lie still." Charisma replied.  
Jess did so.  
Charisma traced a finger up her shin. He got about two thirds of the way before he felt a slight dent and Jess flinched, trying hard but failing to hide her suffering.  
The area had started to swell slightly and a heavy bruise was already apparent.  
"I don't know. It could be broken, but I'm no expert."  
Jess looked at her leg. "I'm pretty sure it's not broken."  
Bantam sighed. "We'll have to get one of the team to look at it. They've gotta have someone dealing with first-aid aboard."  
At this point, Ice P came back through the curtain. His fur seemed to be matted down to his body somewhat and his expression had lost some of its jolliness.  
"Sorry, kids. The tour's going to have to be suspended for a while."  
  
***  
  
Jess laid on her back wondering. Her right leg was propped up on four pillows and the burning feeling from it had not lessened any.  
"Nothing is ever easy."  
Charisma opened his eyes and looked at her from the bed he and Bantam were lying on.  
"You expected this to be easy?"  
Bantam mumbled something and turned over.  
"…He's asleep?" Jess asked.  
"Seems so. He'll sleep through anything, mind."  
"…D'ya think this was just… not meant to be." Jess said.  
Charisma got up and sat on Jess' bed.  
"Jess, if this wasn't meant to be, then we wouldn't have gotten this far."  
"You believe that?"  
"I know that, babe."  
"Babe?" Jess laughed.  
"I dunno… I just said it." Charisma smiled.  
"…It's OK, Charisma." Jess said, and took hold of his hand.  
Charisma leaned over to kiss Jess' forehead. Jess put her arm behind his head and brought his head down, so he was face to face with her.  
Images of them kissing, sharing tender moments, kneeling together by the fireside at Christmas, fleeted through Charisma's mind, he brought his face forward to meet hers, their lips nearly touching…  
BLAM!!!  
The lights went out again as the craft jolted forward, tumbling Charisma onto the floor and throwing Jess on top of him.  
"Yarrrgh!" Jess shouted, her leg thrown from its relaxed position.  
And suddenly, silence.  
"Bantam?" Charisma asked.  
"Still here." Bantam replied, sounding a little groggy.  
The lights flickered and came back on.  
The craft seemed very quiet, no motor humming or anything.  
"I think we've stopped dead."  
"Brilliant."  
Ice P's voice crackled through the small two-way radio, now on the floor. "Kids, the Omni-aid part of the craft has malfunctioned…"  
There was silence, then a sigh was heard. "You'll have to get out of the craft…"  
Charisma picked up the radio. "No problem, Ice. What then?"  
Ice P sighed deeply again.  
"You don't understand Charisma. You three are in the Omni-area. You're not where we are. The technology has failed. You're stuck in a completely different place to the rest of us."  
Charisma stared at Bantam an Jess.  
Ice P continued. "We're in the main part of the craft, the real part you could say. We've suffered heavy damage. We think we're somewhere in the Jungle Zone."  
Jess spoke up. "Where are we then?"  
"Where the Omni-space is stored. A zero dimension of sorts…"  
"What?"  
"…The Special Zone."   
  
  
End of Chapter 5…  
  
*** 


End file.
